He writes: "The Cardinals are likely to be a serious contender for Cousins, too. No NFL team has a bigger need at quarterback. With the retirement of Carson Palmer, they don’t have a quarterback under contract, so it’s not a surprise they are listed among the teams expected to pursue Cousins."

He writes: "They're in desperate need after Carson Palmer's retirement and at a major competitive disadvantage in the NFC West, where the other three teams look to be set under center for the next decade. The desert might be a nice draw considering the presence of RB David Johnson, WR Larry Fitzgerald — probably — and a sixth-ranked defense. But GM Steve Keim already has a lot of money tied up in this roster and looks to be quite hamstrung from a cap perspective heading into free agency."

He writes: "The Cardinals, for all their talk about Blaine Gabbert, are in the market after Carson Palmer retired. Pairing Cousins with David Johnson and a talented defense could keep Arizona competitive in a post-Palmer world. General manager Steve Keim might need to make a bold move at the QB position to keep Arizona in the mix. The Cardinals could use a high draft choice for a quarterback or pursue another veteran to replace Palmer. It's unclear what direction new coach Steve Wilks might want to go."

He writes: "Arizona needs to replace the retired Carson Palmer. The draft (or moving up in it) is an option for the Cardinals, who are slotted 15th. The Cardinals have some pieces in place. They finished 2017 fourth in defensive DVOA, compared to 30th in offensive DVOA. The Jaguars were first in defensive DVOA, the Vikings second."

He writes: "Yet another franchise in the market for a veteran signal-caller? Cousins' agent must look like the cat that ate the canary. Carson Palmer's retirement leaves the Cardinals without a single quarterback under contract. New coach Steve Wilks emphasized to Arizona's brass that he wasn't prepared to take over a rebuilding effort in the desert. "We're going to have a very active and aggressive plan for free agency," Wilks vowed, establishing Arizona's quarterback strategy."

He writes: "With Alex Smith’s reported contract extension worth more than $23 million per year on average, Cousins will cost at least that much, being just as productive and four years younger. Arizona needs a quarterback. Adding Cousins would be costly, but it would give them a franchise quarterback who can be the guy for many years."

He writes: "Carson Palmer just retired, and Drew Stanton and Blaine Gabbert (both free agents) clearly aren’t the future. That means the Cardinals are starting over at quarterback, and getting Cousins would be a nice coup for new head coach Steve Wilks. However, they are extremely tight against the salary cap, and short of a veteran contract purge, Arizona probably doesn’t have the room to pay Cousins what he’s worth."

The Vikings' cast-offs: Teddy Bridgewater |He’s missed most of the past two seasons because of a major knee injury, but was 11-5 as a starter in 2015. Plus, heis only 25. Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

The 'in your dreams' guys': Kirk Cousins | He’s played the past two seasons under the franchise tag, and Washington would have to pay crazy money ($34.5 million) to do that again. Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Trading places: Tyrod Taylor | The Bills benched him at midseason, a clear signal of what they think of Taylor’s future. He is due a $6 million bonus if he’s on the roster on March 17. Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Trading places: Eli Manning | He has a no-trade clause and is due a $5 million roster bonus on the third day of the league year. Manning conceivably could decline a trade, force the Giants to cut him. Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Building bridges: Josh McCown | He started his career here and it would be a cool story if he ended it here. McCown turns 39 in July and proved with the Jets this season that he can still play. Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Building bridges: Ryan Fitzpatrick | This would be a return home, too. Fitzpatrick played at Gilbert Highland High. He’s 35 and played in a variety of systems, which would be helpful. Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports